Boris Johnson does not believe there is ever a reason to boo the national anthem, his spokesman has said after Liverpool supporters were criticised for jeering God Save the Queen before Saturday’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea.
A large section of the Reds’ supporters were heard booing both the anthem and traditional pre-match hymn Abide With Me before the game, which Jurgen Klopp’s side won in a penalty shootout to keep their hopes of an unprecedented quadruple alive.
The reception has led to a significant amount of criticism and now Johnson’s official spokesman has weighed in.
"No,” he said after being asked if the prime minister believes there is ever a justifiable reason to jeer the anthem. "Obviously the events over the weekend, it was a great shame that as we were making 150 years of the FA Cup that brings people together that a small minority chose to act in that way.”
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle had led the criticism over the weekend. He told The Mail on Sunday: “I utterly condemn any fans who booed Prince William at Wembley. The FA Cup final should be an occasion when we come together as a country. It should not be ruined by a minority of fans’ totally shameful behaviour. In this year of all years – the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – this is dreadful.”
But anti-establishment Liverpool fans have been booing God Save the Queen since at least the 1980s, with many on Merseyside taking a “scouse not English” approach owing to what they consider years of the government failing the city.
Johnson’s response is in stark contrast to the government’s view around the booing of the knee that took place before England games last summer. At the time home secretary Priti Patel said that those who were offended by the anti-racism gesture were within their rights to jeer.
Asked whether England fans had a right to boo England’s national team, she said: “That's a choice for them quite frankly. I've not gone to a football match to even contemplate that.”
